Whether you live in a New York City high rise or a Tucson one-story house, birds always seem to find a way to hurl themselves at whatever windows you may have. Not only does the bird strike’s sickening “thump” tend to interrupt whatever you’re doing, but it also startles the dogs and often leaves a dead, injured or completely stunned bird lying on the ground.

And even birds that are merely stunned can quickly end up injured or dead once the dogs head out to investigate what made the sickening thump.

I recently saved a colorful tanager from certain death after he crashed into our Tucson door wall and then sat at the base of it having what looked like panic attack. He was panting like a freight engine. His eyes were the size of saucers. And his beak was frozen open in an ongoing grimace.

He was so out of it he let me pick gently pick him up and place him on the patio table, away from the certain death from dogs zone. There he sat panting for at least an hour, pooping at least once, until he finally gathered his wits back enough to hop onto a nearby oleander branch.

I vowed I would do whatever I could to make sure this would not happen again. So I checked out some options to prevent bird strikes into windows. Here’s what I found:

Remove the Windows

While this could work if you live in a climate that doesn’t rain, snow, dip below 72 degrees, or have insects, removing the windows is not a feasible option in most cases. Besides, you’d still have gaping openings in your walls what would beckon birds to fly on in. If you think a tanager pooping once on a patio table is bad, you should see what the average bird can do to your living room carpet.

Feasibility score (1 to 10): 0

Cover the Windows

Exterior shades could cover the window glass, as could meaty chunks of plywood or flat, black paint. But do you really want to sit around in the dark all day?

Feasibility score (1 to 10): 2 (if you don’t mind the dark)

Try Bird Strike Window Decals

This is the option I initially wanted to try, although it did take some time to find decals that:

Weren’t in the shape of birds, butterflies or some other fru fru design

Weren’t ugly white

Didn’t resemble those things you stick in bathtubs to stop from slipping

Looked attractive from the exterior as well as the interior

I ended up ordering two different decal sets, a cool-looking mandala and a circle-spiral-ey thing.

One issue I was already expecting to encounter was longevity. Other window decals have peeled, faded and otherwise fallen prey to window washing, constant sun and other elements and ailments to which exterior windows are regularly exposed.

The other issue was the wait. The cool spiral-ey set was coming all the way from Germany and would take at least 10 days to arrive. After witnessing the panic of the tanager, I knew I couldn’t wait a single second to put something in place. So I moved on to the next solution.

Only one bird came close to crashing into the window since I installed the sign about two weeks back. He was heading for the glass at high speed, but then slowed down enough when he saw the sign to change course and only make a “tap” noise instead of a “SPLAT.”

I KNEW birds could read English. Not a bird crash, bird bash or bird strike since!

Thus I’d definitely vote for a unique sign that lasts for years, can be moved to different windows, cities or time zones as needed, and ensures birds get the message that you love them and want to keep them safe.

Feasibility score (1 to 10): 10

Get creative and make your own double-sided bird crash prevention sign – or buy one from ryndustries. Either way, the birds will thank you.

Many artists have the fantasy of blanketing the entire world with their art. And even if they don’t, it’s been one of mine since childhood. The quest to make this fantasy a reality has included drawing Snoopy on the garage wall, being grounded for drawing Snoopy on the garage wall, painting rocks that pepper my backyard garden, and creating loads of colorful signs found in yards and homes from Alabama to Australia.

And now it also includes a few items of clothing, one of which is this fun ‘n’ freaky skeleton shirt. While it took me several weeks to actually wear this shirt after I designed and ordered one for myself, the results were wonderful. And I wanted to make sure others didn’t go through a similar dilemma if they’re wondering if they, too, should wear this shirt or not.

So here come a bunch of reasons why you should or should not wear this shirt. Go through the lists, check off items that apply, and then tally the results for your final answer.

Why You Should Wear This Shirt

It features original artwork of a skeleton sporting a Mohawk – the perfect chance to boast a Mohawk without cutting a single strand of your hair.

The skeleton grabs attention without needing to swear, break things or otherwise resort to violence. He also appears on the front AND the back!

It doesn’t say mean things, like “I’m with stupid.”

Unlike many tank tops these days, it doesn’t come with padded inserts or ridiculous cleavage you’d be embarrassed to wear in front of your mother.

It pairs keenly with cut-offs or other simple shorts in the summer heat.

Why You Should Not Wear This Shirt

You’re heading to a corporate meeting with a strict dress code (when I worked in corporate America 100 years ago, I used to get a dress code memo on my desk at least once a week).

Skeletons irk you.

You’re already wearing super loud, plaid gauchos or a flowing, flowered skirt, both of which could clash with the Mohawk skeleton.

You accidentally left it somewhere your dog could access it and he has since chewed a hole in the middle and used it as a blanket.

Who is Gillespie?

Gillespie was this chunky little ornery dog we met at the dog park. He was a real jerk.

What made him jerky?

He followed us around snarling. Then he tried to get between my own dogs and me, snarling at them if they came near me. Then he incessantly sniffed butts while snarling some more. He finally snarled one too many times in my dog Gigi’s face and Gigi attacked him.

Then what happened?

Then we left.

What were Gillespie’s owners doing during all this?

Just sitting there on a bench. They finally said the dog’s name after the attack. Maybe to prevent another one?

Or maybe they wanted Gillespie to get attacked and killed so they didn’t have to bring him back home.

No, people can’t be that cruel – even with a jerky dog.

So what should people do if they have a jerky dog?

Not bring him out in public.

And warn any visitors to the home that a jerky dog is on the property.

Dating an astronaut. Becoming an astronaut. Learning to speak Swahili. Your bucket list may be packed with all kinds of glorious things you want to do before you die; some tangible, some fantastical and some just for the fun of the thought.

And the thought of certain activities can be much more exciting that actually completing them. Think climbing Mount Everest or breeding lemurs.

That makes the traditional bucket list a bit impractical. The traditional list also has another factor working against it. Although the phrase and concept of a bucket list have been kicking around for years (excuse the pun), the term really roared into regular use after the release of the 2007 movie of the same name.

Subsequent mentions on TV shows that range from “Glee” to “NCIS” further cemented the concept into popular culture. And when anything soars into popular culture, you know what needs to happen next.

As with most folks, I end up on a bazillion mailing lists and receive about 46 pounds of printed catalogs every week. Some I recycle without thinking, but something made me look through the Celtic catalog of goodies.

And now I’m hooked.

While I have yet to actually buy anything from the specific company that sent the catalog, I feel in love with several items — like the crystal ball, a delicious leather carrying pouch, and the Wheel of the Year.

Wheel of the Year Explained

The Wheel of the Year is a calendar that depicts the four Celtic fire festivals/holidays, with the two solstices and equinoxes.

Samhain: Oct. 31

YULE: Dec. 21, Winter solstice

Imbolc: Feb. 1 (or 2)

OSTARA: March 21, Spring equinox

Beltane: May 1

LITHA: June 21, Summer solstice

Lughnasad: Aug. 1

MABON: Sept. 21, Fall equinox

You can clearly see the link to holidays like Halloween, Easter, May Day and even Groundhog Day, especially if you like Imbolc being on Feb. 2 instead of Feb. 1.

A variety of Wheel of the Year versions are all for sale all over the web, but none had the exact je ne sais quoi for which I was searching. So I made my own.